The Difference a Smile Makes
by Penpal18873
Summary: Every action has its consequence. For Harry, the action was a memorable meeting with a certain red-haired woman and its consequences are far-reaching.Voldemort is back, Harry is being kept out of the loop. The last thing he needs is to be kidnapped by Hydra but that is exactly what happens.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:(Sadly) I do not own Harry Potter or Avengers.

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Chapter **1**

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As he grew up, Harry became extremely familiar with the people living on Privet drive. Even if _they_ didn't know that. He knew their routines like the back of his hand just like anyone would if they had to spend most of their time outside the house. But it was either the streets or the cupboard. And Harry definitely preferred the former even if it got boring after a while.

It was the same 9 to 5 routine for all of the residents, the same old gossip and the same old petty issues. Well for almost all of them. There was a house at the end of the street that was different. Its structure was the same as all the others but it was _different_. The lawn wasn't as well kept, the door knobs not as shiny, the paint not as fresh. Harry had only seen it occupied once, a long time ago.

When he was six and a half to be exact.

It was about the time Aunt Petunia started taking the 'Positive Parenting' class. The effect of the classes wasn't seen on Aunt Petunia or Dudley for that matter, rather it was apparent by the massive collection of stickers, given out in the class, on the fridge.

'Rules for life' Aunt Petunia called them, 'New-age bullshit' Uncle Vernon declared it to be.

Dudley didn't care either way. He couldn't read and didn't care what was on the fridge, only what was in it. As for Harry, well he was just confused. Mostly because he wasn't sure whether or not the rules applied to him as well.

There were some rules that were Dudley specific. As in, only Dudley was expected to follow them because Harry had no need for them. An example of such a rule would be the _'No running with knives'_ rule, Harry learned to chop vegetables for his Aunt when he was 5 years old, he still had the scars to show for it or _'Make sure no one steals your toys'_ , Harry had no toys for anyone to steal, though he was falsely accused of stealing Dudley's toys many times.

So it was quite a chore to figure out if they were his rules as well. In the end, Harry reached the conclusion that no, they did not apply to him. Why? Well, there was a _'No talking to strangers'_ rule. But Harry had broken it _many_ times and nothing ever happened. Plus, he didn't want the rules to apply to him. Strangers were nice to him, why should he be rude in return.

Maybe this was the reason that he did not run away when he met, and talked to, the red-haired woman from the house at the corner of the street for the first time.

It was a cold day when Harry met her, one of the coldest days of the year. He had been peeking from behind a rock as Dudley and his gang stood around a small blonde girl with piggy tails whose one hand was clutching her teddy. Harry could tell that Dudley was demanding her to give him her teddy even if he couldn't hear him. Because that's what Dudley did, he bullied people into giving him stuff.

Harry'd gripped the grass in his fist and was pulling it out in tufts when their eyes met. The girl, whose name he never found out, had looked at him with tearful eyes and he couldn't not help. The next thing he remembers is leaping out from behind the rock and standing in front of the girls. "Leave her alone, Dudley", he'd said.

"Wha are you goin ta do?" Dudley had turned his beady eyes towards him.

And Harry could tell the exact moment he became the target instead. He ducked under Pier's arm when he tried to grab him and ran. He ran between the people in the park, thanking whatever entity was up there that it was a busy day, and tried to lose them.

Dudley was screaming, Harry was running when everything came to a stop and he collided with a figure on the street. He fell on his bottom. Dudley cheered.

Harry didn't spare a moment to remember his pain and jumped up again, narrowly escaping the hand that would've grabbed his foot. He would've run but a thin but strong hand grabbed his arm.

He'd looked back at the figure opening his mouth to apologize when light brown eyes met his green and the world fell away. The lady flashed a quick smile at him, her eyes were soft as if seeing something that wasn't there and then she turned towards the gang.

She must have said something to them, scolded them probably judging by the cold and strict tone of her voice, and they ran away mumbling quick apologies.

Harry was too busy looking at her. The lady had been facing the park so she'd probably seen the whole scene and for some reason, it made him embarrassed. He wanted to look away but he couldn't. He had never seen anyone more pretty. No one more vibrant. She just radiated light and energy.

The lady had perfectly curled dark red hair pinned to one side, red lips, high heels, and a business outfit completed her look. For some reason, he wished her eyes were green like his instead. With that thought he stepped away from the woman, her grip had loosened and now her hand only rested on his arm softly.

Hard eyes soften again when they looked at him, Harry felt like she was seeing someone else in his place. His Aunt had the same look sometimes when she told him that he was too much like his 'good for nothing' mother. He wondered who she saw, as it made her look soft and sad at the same time.

The voices rushed back into his ears and the time seemed to resume when the woman raised a hand and gently touched his cheek as if by accident and then stepped back.

He saw red lips moving and forced himself to pay attention.

"You have a strong heart and good instincts kid." A strong yet gentle voice told him, Harry nodded his head as if in a trance. The woman smiled, "Always trust them. It's better to be safe than dead." She said it as if repeating someone else's words and with another smile, she walked away.

The advice stayed with him for some reason, maybe it was because of the smile that accompanied it. No one had smiled like that for Harry before. It stayed with him and proved fruitful in a graveyard almost 8 years later. It was a fateful day for more than one reason.

The scene flashed before Harry's closed eyes even now.

 _"Is this supposed to be part of the task?"_

 _"I dunno," said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"_

 _"Yeah," said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him._

 _They pulled out their wands. Harry kept looking around him. He had, yet again, the strange feeling that they were being watched._

 _"Someone's_ _coming," he said suddenly. The advice rang in his ears 'Trust your instincts'_

 _So when his scar ached he didn't think, he acted._

 _Harry pulled the struggling Cedric after him and hid behind one of the larger headstones. He signaled at Cedric to stay quiet._

 _Cedric looked skeptical, "We should at least check, Harry." He whispered._

 _"Wheres the boy?" A raspy sound made their eyes widen, Harry clutched at his head falling down to his knees with a soft gasp; His wand slipped from his fingers; as his knees hit the ground he reached out for his wand again trying to push back the pain._

 _"Where is the boy?" The cold voice asked again, a rustling of robes and a second voice answered, "He must be hiding master, the portkey is right there."_

 _"Then find him, you fool!" And the world exploded into pain again._

Harry's eyes flashed open. He clutched at his chest, the phantom pain seemed to radiate from his chest outwardly.

Breathe in.

One two three four.

Hold for seven.

Exhale at eight.

Harry repeated the same drill over and over until it felt like he could breathe again. The panic seemed to have backed away, for now.

A simple glance at the clock showed the time as 5 am. Harry yawned stretching his arms, it seemed as if he was tired all the time nowadays. It may have something to do with the fact that he could hardly sleep more than a few hours without waking up screaming.

Remembering that, Harry reached up behind his head to untie the piece of cloth he had wrapped around his mouth to muffle his screams. The knot came undone after a few tries. Harry touched the small lines over his cheeks and sighed, knowing that the red lines would stay there for at least a few hours.

Well, it was worth it. He came up with the trick after the first few weeks when he was given almost nothing to eat because apparently, his Uncle couldn't sleep with his 'racket' all night.

Harry bound the red cloth around his arm and went ahead to complete his morning routine.

The red color kept taking his mind back to 'the red lady' as he called her in his mind. Nowadays everything kept reminding him of her. Maybe it was because of what happened in the graveyard, her advice did save him even if it wasn't able to save his friend, or maybe it was because of the news that she was apparently back for some time.

After so many years, she had probably forgotten him but Harry could never forget her. And he felt this deep yearning to talk to her, to thank her even if she didn't know what she'd done for him.

Because something worse could've happened if it wasn't for her words ringing in his ears. The thought prompted a sudden feeling of guilt mixed with determination.

Harry paid the owl waiting at his window for the daily prophet when he came out of the bathroom. The owl hooted at him and flew off, he cast a look at the front page before throwing it into the rubbish. When the people finally accepted Voldemort's return, it will be on the front page and that was all that Harry cared about.

He saw some letters laying on the desk from the corner of his eye and chose to ignore them. As usual, they would be nothing but empty platitudes without any real information.

Harry looked at the cloth on his arm, the red standing out against his pale skin. He looked back and forth between the cloth and his trunk for a while before shrugging. He had kept his head down and stayed out of trouble all summer; even relying on snippets of news from the bushes to keep in touch with the outside world.

He deserved to do at least this one thing for himself.

He pulled out the best clothes he had. An old dark blue button down that belonged to Dudley about three years ago and finally fit Harry relatively well along with his uniform trousers. He even ran a comb in his hair trying to trick it into laying down.

Harry climbed down the stairs with a relaxed stance, the Dursleys wouldn't be up until much later since it was Sunday. He grabbed an apple as it wouldn't be missed and rushed out of the house. As of this year, he was officially not required to make breakfast for the Dursleys.

It may be because he threatened to poison them with wizarding herbs when they pushed him a few times but well, he was the one suffering from recurring nightmares and guilt that never left him alone so he was allowed to be a little trigger happy.

Sometimes he just felt like goading Dudley into hitting him just so he could feel the pain, it would feel like a well-deserved punishment.

Harry shook his head, trying to chase away the dark thought and bit into the apple. He passed the well-groomed front yards of the Privet Streets identical houses and looked for the one with the ungroomed garden.

It was actually Aunt Petunia's horrified comments about that 'Red haired military' woman's house that grabbed his attention. After all, there was only one military woman that had ever resided in Privet Drive so he decided to check out whether or not the lady had come back to the neighborhood.

With the last bite taken, Harry threw the few seeds he had in his hand into the garbage can and rubbed his hands on his jeans to clean them off of the juice.

A couple minutes later and he stood before the only different house in the whole street. It was a neat and clean house with a not so bad garden, Aunt Petunia was totally exaggerating about the state of the lawn.

Harry's breath quickened and he wondered for a second whether or not he should do it. He almost walked away but with a shuddering breath managed to knock in the door somehow. He rubbed his hands over her trousers again looking left and right.

The door opened without a sound and before him stood the woman that had plagued his mind.

Brown eyes met green.

She smiled.

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Edited:8-10-18


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:(Sorrowfully) I do not own Marvel or Harry Potter

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 **Chapter 2**

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She smiled and Harry felt the breath leave his lungs, "How may I help you, young man?"

Once upon a time he'd looked at her and pretended that this is what his mother would have looked like. Now, after seeing his mothers picture and seeing her in the graveyard he could say that the two women looked nothing alike, even the red of their hair was different. But it was the aura of the lady which still made him embarrassed and nervous as if he were standing in front of his real mother.

Harry unconsciously straightened his posture and cleared his throat,

"Hello. I am not sure if you remember me... Em...We met when I was little...I-"

He couldn't continue. This was a mistake. Who was he kidding? Why would she remember the thin kid she shared smiles with so long ago. He was about to give up and walk away when a contemplative look appeared on the lady's features.

Her eyebrows furrowed for a second, the expression disappearing soon and it seemed like her whole demeanor changed.

Only now Harry noticed how on guard she'd been.

The previous stiffness of her shoulders became prominent only when they relaxed, he would've never noticed it otherwise. Brown eyes lost their scrutiny and while the change might have escaped someone else, it didn't escape him cause he was used to analyzing every minuscule expression of his relatives.

"Of course. I remember you." He could almost hear the smile in her voice " The first time I saw you, you were being chased by a boy twice your size."

"Three or four times my size now. " He quipped trying to push past his nerves, his hand reached up to ruffle his hair. He smoothed down his fringe instead. At the raised eyebrow, he clarified. "He's my cousin."

With that he quietened down again, he was not good with people. He wanted to thank her but had no idea how to start. The lady perhaps sensed his inner conflict, she gestured a come in motion with her hand.

"I see. How about some tea?"

Harry relaxed. Tea, tea he could do. "Em is there any acceptable answer except yes?"

The lady-he really needed to know her name-chuckled a little walking inside. "No. Not unless you want to be disowned by the gentlemen's society."

Harry kept his eyes on the back of her dress shirt instead of looking around like he wanted to. He didn't want to wrong step her by snooping into something she didn't want him to see. She did have ties to the army after all and though it might seem paranoiac, well better paranoid than kicked out. His gaze never shifted until they reached a parlor clearly not prepared for guests, there were files and books everywhere.

"Sorry for the mess. I was not expecting guests." The comment was proper so was the emotion shown behind it but somehow Harry could feel she was not sorry for it. Maybe its because no one can judge her for being comfortable in her own home, especially not an uninvited guest.

"Oh, I don't mind. Honestly. You should see my cousin's room. its like he has the power of disorder,"

It earned him another smile. He sat on one of the chairs and his eyes followed her as she went into another room, a kitchen probably, and came out with a steaming cup in her hand.

She placed it in front of him and grabbed a mug he hadn't noticed. She cradled it in her hands. Her mug looked almost half empty, he had obviously interrupted her tea time. Harry allowed himself to feel a little guilty but took a sip without mentioning it. The lady took one right after him.

A few minutes passed with both of them busy with their tea. Harry could feel the eyes looking over him. He'd once heard that emotions affected one's appearance, he absently wondered what she saw in him.

Did she see the months of guilt and fear that resided in his very bones? He pushed away that thought hurriedly. That was an entirely different can of worms, one that he wasn't ready to deal with yet.

He appreciated that she was giving him time to gather himself up because that is exactly what she was doing even if she was very subtle about it.

"I wanted to thank you." He blurted out, feeling heat creep up his neck when the lady just looked at him silently as if willing him to continue.

After swallowing twice, he finally did. " You gave me some advice that day. " He looked down at his teacup seeing her nod. She remembered.

"It...It helped me. A lot. More than I can tell. If it wasn't for your advice I'd be..."-dead or worse. He wisely left the sentence incomplete, he did not need authorities over his head. "...just thank you...Your kindness, it meant more than you can imagine."

And it did. The few months the lady did stay in the neighborhood, she never forgot to exchange a smile with Harry in the park. They never talked again but the smiles gave him hope that maybe he wasn't that bad after all. Maybe he wasn't a freak because why would the lady smile at him if there was something wrong with him.

A hand touched his most likely bright red cheek. He looked up and saw her lips turned up into a smile. It was different than the other smiles, the friendly and distant ones, this one was more like the way she used to smile at him when he was younger. All soft and full of light. It brightened her eyes in a gentle way.

"You're welcome." That's all she said but it meant so much more, then she picked up her cup again and took a sip.

Harry took in a breath of relief, he wasn't sure he could take it if anything further was said. It was difficult enough to say all of that despite his embarrassment, he didn't want to embarrass himself further by, _god forbid,_ crying or something.

It was kind of sad how a glance and touch of kindness after months of being ignored and forgotten nearly made him want to cry and tell a stranger everything.

And a stranger is what she was. But she didn't feel like one. She never had.

With a clink, Harry placed his empty teacup back on the glass table. "Right, um" he gulped, then licked his lips.

"Yes? Anything else? " From anyone else, the manner would seem condescending but the lady managed to make it seem open and willing. She seemed like someone who could make you pour your whole heart in front of her with a few words and pointed glances.

And honestly, he wasn't sure how to take that. He forced himself to calm down, to push the raging emotions down. He'd exposed himself enough, too much.

He, for the first time, actually looked at her. Past the beauty and the intoxicating aura. And he saw. He took in the analyzing eyes, absorbing his every word and motion. The softness of her eyes accompanied by curiosity, wanting to know everything there was to know. And he saw the danger behind the red lips and brown eyes.

 _"-creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses."_

A soft drawl whispered in his mind. It described her perfectly. This is what made her so similar to Lilly Potter. And Harry, Harry wanted. He wanted to see more of it.

His posture straightened again. He blinked away the slight moisture in his eyes and pushed down the nervousness.

"I was wondering if I may have the name of my savior?"

Something like amusement crept into her face as if she could see his question for what it was. A need, _a plea_ , to have some information in return after giving away too much.

"Margret Carter." The name was given after a slight pause as if she wondered at the wisdom of giving him her name, or her real name in any case.

Harry vowed to keep the name close to his chest just like his own secrets, "Harry Potter, at your service. Miss Carter." He smiled.

If Harry hadn't looked away to glance at the clock, he would've seen the widening of brown eyes before it was cleared away.

"Just 'Peggy' would do, Mister Potter." Peggy glanced over Harry again.

"Then I insist you call me 'Harry'." He titled his head a bit as thanks, wondering the reason for the sudden openness but not against it either.

She smiled. This time Harry wasn't left breathless. This time, it felt like he could finally breathe again. So he did.

Then when he left her house the gentle smile stayed with him. Just like it had before.

* * *

 _'I wish we could tell you more Harry'_

 _'Miss ya, Mate.'_

 _'Just keep out of trouble, kiddo.'_

 _'Keep your head down, Harry. That is all you need to do.'_

Harry picked up a quill then stopped. There were so many things to say. And too much anger and hurt to say them.

The quill dropped from his fingers. He watched the few splashes of ink spreading on the parchment. With a sigh, he picked up the well-worn copy of * _ **'Wildsmith's Wonderbook: Book of Comprehensive Spells'**_ and started going over the spells again.

* * *

 _Burning. The left side of his face was burning. Or was it his right? He couldn't tell._

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_

 _The killing curse rang in his head. Something fell._

 _He felt the gravel scratching his face. Wha- Cedric!_

Harry didn't wake up with a gasp. He woke up with acid burning in his throat and taste of blood in his mouth. He'd most likely bitten his tongue again. The trees around him confused him a bit before he remembered his prompt trip to the park. It was hard enough to deal with his relatives on a good day, not to mention a day like _this._

He got up with some difficulty and stumbled to a trashcan to spit out the vile mixture of bile and blood. He ran a hand over his face and went to the drinking fountain. Cupping some water in his hand, he put it into his mouth, gargling with the water for a while to remove the nauseating taste from it. Then he drank some of the water to calm his empty stomach.

A glance at the darkening sky showed that he'd been in the park for at least three hours. More than enough time for his Uncle to calm down from his tantrum about his news seeking adventure under the bushes.

Harry walked over to the lilac tree at the edge of the park and stood under it hearing the gentle rustling of the leaves. A while later, he heard the distant steps of a group's approach.

'See you then,' said the voice of the devil known as Dudley.

'Bye, Dud!'

'See ya, Big D!'

Harry contemplated riling Dudley up for a second, it would help chase away the feeling of helplessness that had plagued him all summer for a while. But another figure caught his eye instead.

It was Miss Carter. Or Peggy as she insisted to be called.

He had seen her pass the park many times in the past few days but it seemed as if their interaction had returned to its original condition; smile exchanging. Harry vowed to change that today. He didn't even notice when Dudley turned the corner and left, he went in the opposite direction to join the woman.

"Hello, Miss Carter," Harry said to announce his presence even if he could see by her unfazed demeanor that she had seen him coming.

"Harry." She said with a slight tilt of her head, silently reminding him of their agreement to call each other by their given names.

Harry tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace, "May I join you?" He presumed that she was out for a walk cause she had nothing on her but a phone.

"I don't see why not." And so they walked.

 _Tap tap tap._

Her fingers moved over the screen with a practiced ease. It was a weirdly hypnotic sight. Harry watched her for a while and just enjoyed the peace. His mind wandered to other things for a while. Positive things. Like the fact that he had actually done something productive this summer.

Reading all his textbooks and some extra DADA books he'd once bought! Hermione would be proud...if she bothered to actually talk to him. Harry mentally shook a finger at himself. Really? Two minutes of 'positive things' is the best he could take. Pathetic.

"Whats going on in that head of yours if I may ask?"

The sudden question made him stumble a bit. He looked at Peggy. She was still looking down at her phone. A concentrated look was on her face. Harry allowed himself some time to think before answering.

"What makes you think something is going on?"

"That expression of yours." Peggy looked up, her full concentration on him now. She put the phone in her pocket. Her steps were light, almost soundless. "I've seen it more times than I wish. But it is usually on the face of soldiers after a battle. Not a fourteen-year-old."

Hah! Harry felt like laughing. She was more on point then she probably imagined.

"And what makes you think I am not a soldier." He said instead. Peggy stopped, causing him to stop as well. Her lips were pursed and her eyes too knowing. If it weren't for the fact that she was a muggle, he would've thought she _knew._

"We all have our own battles to fight Peggy." He continued.

"Very well said." Her lips tilted a bit, not a smile but something close to it.

"Thanks." Harry started walking again. "But I am not back from the battle, I'm still in it. Fighting." He mentally scolded himself for saying that, so much for not giving away everything. Might as well tell her you're a wizard!

"Then I wish you luck" Peggy rubbed her arms.

Harry felt a slight shiver run up his spine. He wished he had taken his jacket with him.

"I wish you the same." Harry finally said causing Peggy to still. He was on thin ice but he wanted to get this out, "I noticed the files, it wasn't that difficult to connect that you aren't here for a vacation."

They were standing in an ally. The light from one of the bulbs made Peggy look even more enchanting. He saw that unlike what he'd first thought, Peggy actually had reddish-brown hair with the red becoming prominent when the light hit it just right.

Peggy stared at him for a while before something like pride appeared on her face, "Like I said, Good instincts."

Harry grinned back at her. It seemed like another wall had broken between them with the few words. The crooked smile fell away from his face as the cold crept nearer. It didn't feel like the usual cold, it felt...unnatural. Wrong.

But how was that possible?

Dementors? In Little Whinging?

"What is it?" a stern voice asked him. Harry wondered whether it was his expression that was alarming her or the sudden feeling of cold and dread.

"I-" He heard the wicked creatures before he saw them. It was coming from both sides of the alley, something was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Then a dark figure appeared at each end of the alley.

A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly towards him, hovering over the ground sucking on the night as it came. The world felt muted and all Harry could think was,

.Not Again.

He turned towards Peggy to warn her and saw that she had taken out a gun from somewhere and was pointing it in the general direction of the dementor.

"-speak to me, Harry!" He realized she had been calling him for the past few minutes. He had frozen.

"You can't-?" With a jolt, it became clear what was happening. Peggy couldn't see the dementors. "Peggy please, I need you to trust me on this. Stay away from the cold and _whatever happens,_ keep your mouth shut. Please." He took out his wand and pointed at the dementor closer to him.

" ** _Expecto Patronum!_**!" He shouted. Only a few wisps of white light appeared at the end of his wand.

No, No, **NO!**

They were here for him, he couldn't let them get to Peggy. Harry tried to focus on happy thoughts but there _were_ no happy thoughts. How-

He almost screamed when the dementor grabbed him by his neck. Peggy was shooting the other one, he could hear the loud bangs of a gun firing. The edge of his vision darkened. His wand was slipping from his sweaty fingers. For just a second, only a second, he wondered what it would be like to just let go.

"..Harry", then Peggy's soft whisper got through to his head.

Harry clenched his fingers around his wand until it hurt, holding it in his fist. He tried to focus his thoughts. Ron, Hermione, Sirius. His mind went over the memories over and over again until it seemed like they were slipping from his mind. He heard the sound of someone falling down.

Not Peggy. Not Peggy. Please, he couldn't let anyone get hurt because of him again. Please!

" _ **EXPECTO PATRONUM!**_ "

Harry fell on the ground gasping for breath as the glowing form of Prongs came out of his wand and pushed back the dementor.

"Right there" He pointed at the other dementor who was leaning over Peggy.

Peggy gasped a bit as the dementor was driven away, her body arching a bit from the ground. She stood up faster then he had ever seen after such an attack and shook her head a little, maybe to clear it. She was looking around with something akin to worry, not fear. She stumbled a bit. Her eyes met his. Harry worriedly noticed the glazed look to her eyes.

Prongs had chased away the dementors and was leaning against his side now. Harry ran a hand over his side before it disappeared and walked up to Peggy wondering how he was going to explain what had happened.

The fact that he just used magic in front of a muggle was ringing warning bells in his mind but he was still under too much shock for it to register.

When he reached her, he realized that something was terribly wrong. Peggy was looking around worried even though the cold was long gone and the horror was long gone. She was gripping the gun so tightly that her hands turned white. She was looking but not seeing. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't force the words out. Dazed and confused.

Harry tried to touch her shoulder, "Peggy?" He asked softly.

The gun was pointed at him instead. Harry jumped back and raised up his shaking hands in the universal sign of 'I mean you no harm'. He was absently impressed to notice that her hands were steady. She could probably kill him faster than that dementor would've.

"Look, I know you are confused but-" He saw something small move from the corner of his eye and as a reflex pushed Peggy away. She fell to the ground, hitting her head.

Terrible white hot pain rippled through his arm making him grunt as he almost fell down on his knees.

 _I need the boy alive, you can do with the spare as you will._ The cruel memory pierced through the pain.

Harry grabbed his wand with his left hand to throw a hasty disillusionment charm towards Peggy. At least the Deatheaters won't get her. He sent out a disillusionment charm and a repelling charm in record time. Peggy's fallen body disappeared so well that even he couldn't make out where she was.

He would've been proud of his accomplishment if it weren't for the pain coursing through his body.

There was a shout before heavy booted footsteps drew nearer. Harry could barely pay attention, it felt like his whole right side was on fire. He wished he had practiced the various healing spells he'd read this summer. A small cry escaped his lips, he clenched his teeth trying not to make another sound.

"Where is she? Where'd she go? What did the boy do." A man whispered in awe. Harry saw the shadow of two men, one of them was reaching for him. Harry took a deep breath to brace himself. He attacked right before the man could grab him.

 _ **"Coniunctivitis!**_ " The man groaned with pain as his eyes swelled shut. Harry took it as a chance to run, he had to lead the men as away from the invisible woman as possible and hope that his guess about magical people keeping an eye on him was true.

Harry heard the footsteps behind him. The air was burning his lungs. He stumbled a bit. Harry's breath was knocked out of his lungs as a body slammed into his making him grunt they both hit the ground.

A sound of pain escaped his lips as the body above him held his body down, his hands inched towards where his wand had fallen praying that by some miracle it would come to him. He took a deep shuddering breath that turned into a pained moan when the man above him applied force to his wounded side.

"Stay down." A hoarse voice whispered in his ear. A boot kicked away his last hope. The weight above him moved away providing some relief. He could probably get up now but he couldn't find the strength to do so. The pain was taking over his every sense.

He almost didn't notice as he was flipped. The stary sky filled his vision. He could hear another figure approaching them, probably the other man. His vision was going out, the darkness overtaking it.

Something moved into his vision. The last thing he saw was long brown hair surrounding the masked face of the figure leaning above him. Dark blue eyes that looked hauntingly _empty_ bore into his own.

"Hail Hydra" The man whispered before Harry's eyes fluttered shut and everything went black.

* * *

A/N: Okay. So here is the deal. *Deep breath* I kind of scrapped the whole story and am rewriting it now. Why? Well the answer is quite simple. When I started the story I put in a lot of original characters (like too many) and with that, I promised that they will not take over the story...they ended up taking over the story. And I just wasn't happy with the way I was writing it so here's the 2.0 version. I really hope you like it, let me know what you think in the reviews.

Anyways now that I am done with the big announcement,

 ***Wildsmith:** She was actually a fairly famous witch, most commonly known for being a _ **wizarding inventor and the creator of Floo-powder**_. She has her own silver chocolate frog card.

I don't know if she ever wrote a book but being an inventor, she probably did *Shrug*

Also, how many of you thought the woman was Natasha? Be honest! It wasn't really meant to be a reveal or something but it kinda ended up that way.

-PenPal

P.S: I am not really satisfied with the summery so if anyone wants to help, the help will be greatly appreciated. xx


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter no 3**_

* * *

A week after the infamous dementor attack on Little Whinging, a strange thing happened in Harry potter's room at Privet drive 4. Only Hedwig was there to see it and with great curiosity, she began to watch what was going on.

The room had been very still all the day after Harry had left it a week ago. The stillness had only been broken by the skylight and the wind that rushed in through the open window. Hedwig had, in fact, found it rather dull; Just as she did whenever her Harry left, she had decided to go for a fly and had just come back. Her human had thankfully left the cage open. She had been preening when her attention was attracted by a loud crack

The loud crack was followed by two people materializing into the room. Hedwig looked at the men curiously as no one but her harry came into this room, the woman with long neck usually hit the door and left.

One of the men was her Harry's godfather, and the other was a man who looked too tired for his age, but Hedwig didn't know that. She only knew that the men were invading the silence of the room; the man with the long black hair was looking around with something akin to horror. She remembered this man as the one her Harry often sent letters to.

How much she understood of the talk she heard cannot be said; but, if perhaps she had understood it all, she would probably have become greatly alarmed and worried.

"What did petunia do to him?" Sirius said in a horrified whisper, he looked pale with shock.

"Keep your eyes open," Remus took a deep breath and he began to walk slowly around the miserable little room, looking at the things trying to find some clue.

Sirius went to the narrow bed. He pressed his hand upon the mattress. "As hard as a stone," He spat and examined the one thin pillow, "Patched thin blanket, sheets ragged, even a house elf gets better beddings than this. I knew that wench shouldn't have gotten Harry!" He growled.

Remus looked around, this was looking to be a hopeless endeavor. He went and opened the closet, glaring at the hand me downs inside. He could never have imagined his pseudo-godson was treated like this. Things were adding up and making a picture that he didn't like. He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes knowing they must have turned golden from his building anger.

He closed the door with a sigh, "Its no use, Sirius. There is no clue as to where Harry could have gone or-or who took him."

"Don't. Just _don't_ , Moony" Sirius shook a finger at him, "Sinivellus made it clear that Voldemort _doesn't_ have him."

"Voldemort no longer trusts Severus. We can't be sure that the information is correct."

Sirius was glaring at him now, Remus clenched his teeth. He hated the situation they were in as much as Sirius did, but he was not delusional. Harry was gone. And they needed to account for every possibility if they wanted to find him.

"Arabella said she saw the dementors escaping, which means Harry must have used his wand to cast his Patronus. And if he had his wand, then he could've escaped."

"I think you're forgetting that Harry is just a boy, Sirius. If they ambushed him...", Remus chose not to complete his sentence, still not willing to say what they knew to be a possibility. There was a chance that Harry was gone for good.

Sirius shook his head in denial, "He's got his mother's stubbornness and the Potter luck. He's gonna get through this, Moony. You'll see."

Remus opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. He pursed his lips and nodded instead.

"There is a loose floorboard here" Sirius suddenly said startling Remus. But not too surprised because of course Sirius would notice something like that. Sirius stepped aside from where he was standing near the bed and knelt down. He jammed his fingers into the floorboard with a desperation that almost made Remus flinch.

Sirius pulled out the floorboard and stilled. When Sirius said nothing and kept staring, Remus peered over his shoulder. He was confused for a second before it clicked what he was looking at.

Harry's possessions.

The small space was filled with what looked to be a few of Harry's valuables; A photo album; Some books; A small pack of sweets: A muggle notebook and his invisibility cloak.

Remus watched as Sirius carefully picked up the cloak and ran his hands over it with reverence. He knew the bittersweet memories Sirius was recalling. The nights spent whispering and planning, the days of mischief and their many misadventures. He wondered if Sirius could also taste the stolen fire-whiskey on his tongue.

He knelt down beside him and gathered all Harry's stuff (except the cloak that was still held in Sirius's hands). He then put it in the small bag, having an extension charm on it, at his hip.

"He had to hide his belongings because he thought she'd take them away." Remus's head snapped towards Sirius at his hateful tone. Sirius clutched the cloak in his fist in a grip that bordered on painful.

"Let's not...lets not assume, Sirius. It could be a number of things-"

"I know what I'm saying, Remus!" Sirius whispered hatefully, Remus preferred it when he shouted the silent rage was a lot deadlier, his knuckles were almost white now, "Or did you forget that I was abused as well." He stood up and threw the cloak towards Remus. Remus caught it easily and put it in the bag hanging from his hip.

He raised his hands in the universal sign of accepting defeat, " You know I didn't mean that, Sirius. This isn't the place for this conversation, let's just calm down. Harry needs our help, not our anger."

Sirius ran a hand in his hair, grimacing at the greasy feel and turned towards Harry's desk. He picked up some of the parchment scattered on it and picked up one of them, there were ink splatters on it as if someone dropped a pen on it. The other one read,

 _Dear Sirius,_

That's it. There was nothing more. No trace, no clue as to where Harry could've gone or who took him. It all came back to the dementor incident. But something just didn't feel right.

Sirius turned before Remus could touch his shoulder, "Let's go. Dumbledore must be waiting for us.

Remus nodded and they both apparated out with a crack. Downstairs, Vernon grumbled a bit in his sleep. Hedwig flapped her wings and flew out the window.

* * *

The paintings in the headmaster's office in Hogwarts looked apprehensive as none of them had seen Albus Dumbledore this visibly upset in recent memory. His normally grandfatherly face was grave, the twinkling eyes unfocused and his shoulders sagged as if under a heavyweight as he unthinkingly stroked Fawkes, his familiar.

The elderly wizard was widely recognized as the most powerful wizard of his time and held more positions then he cared to count. As he listened to the soothing trill of the Phoenix, memories played before his eyes with no need of a pensive.

 _"I am telling you, Albus. I noticed the guard was missing and went looking for Harry. I wouldn't have even believed that there was actually a dementors attack in Privet Drive if I hadn't seen them fleein' away. And if it weren't for the ministry notice, it would've never occurred to me that something happened to Harry."_

 _"We examined his room. There was no residual magic, dark or otherwise in his room or elsewhere in the house, he disappeared without a trace, Albus."_ Remus lupins controlled voice declared.

 _"They mistreated him. You...You left him ...why Albus? "_ Sirius blacks silently accusing voice echoed in his ears making him close his eyes with sorrow.

Another child that he had failed in so many ways. He'd isolated him in his desperate desire to keep him safe and now the bright green-eyed boy was nowhere to be found. He hoped against hope that Harry'd find a way to survive this cause Albus had no idea what he'd do if he didn't. Albus sighed taking his hand off Fawkes and picked up the letter declaring the expulsion of Harry Potter. Severus Snape stormed into, his black robe billowing behind him.

He put down the letter and rubbed his nose, "Take a seat, Severus"

"Any further leads on the brat, Albus?" Severus inquired, his face morphing into an unpleasant sneer, "Did someone investigate his house?"

"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin did so yesterday," Albus looked at him reprovingly when he snorted. "Severus, I need you to go to the Ministry and track down Harry's wand. Amelia's bones will assist you"

Severus leaned back in his chair, he allowed some frustration to show on his face, "You do know there is a possibility he just ran away. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran at the first sign of trouble."

Albus let an empty chuckle escape him, " This is Harry Potter we're talking about Severus. He doesn't walk away from trouble. He doesn't _know_ how. "

"As you wish, Albus," Severus said through clenched teeth before getting up and walking out the door.

The Headmaster shook his head in remorse and resumed stroking his familiar, he fervently prayed that Harry Potter was safe where ever he was.

* * *

There was a pressure at the back of his eyes. It hurt. Something cold was pressing to the side of his skull, Harry's head was pounding. He opened his eyes fighting against the instinct to keep them closed. It hurt. But he needed to know, he needed to see. He tried to raise his hand and rub his face.

 _Clink._

Clink.

Harry looked down in confusion, there were metal chains around his wrists. Chains? What were they? He shook his head trying to clear away to blurriness. The silver of the chains looked pretty against his light skin, Harry stared at them for a while. Handcuffs.

Why was he wearing handcuffs? There were voices around him, but couldn't focus to understand them. They seemed to be insistent on him paying attention, but he couldn't concentrate. What was wrong with him?

A door opened and a figure appeared..A woman...yes it was a woman with white...no blonde hair pulled up in a bun.

"Any improvement? Did you test his DNA? " She asked loudly making him wince when his headache came back with full force. She pulled out a glass vial and a needle, Harry tried to make a weak effort to stop her but she grabbed his arms, her nails dug into his flesh. Harry took in a shaky breath when he felt a prickle on his arm.

"Focus." She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes trying to make him focus. What? He tried to follow her words.

"Too much anesthetic.",she spoke in the same monotone voice. "Hold back on the Ketamine." She looked to the side of the room. Harry followed her gaze with his unfocused eyes. A blurry form was leaning against the wall.

"He kept burning out machines, had to do something to keep him down until you came back. " Another woman retorted.

"Burning out machines, indeed. You certainly are an interesting specimen." The woman said it in the same way Aunt Marge talked about one of her dogs.

A heavy weight settled down in Harry's stomach. The world went dark again.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the response, everyone! I've been having a bit of a writer's block so I thought something was better than nothing. Well, it is something indeed. I'm not very happy with the chapter, it feels too much like a filler but I am hoping the next one will be better. Tell me what you think in the comments. See ya next time.**

 **-Marey**

 **P.S: My result is coming out today, wish me luck.**

 **P.P.S: I re-edited the first chapter, it flows a lot better now. I'll be cool if you check it out and tell me if you prefer this or the previous version.**


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